The Centre for Transforming India (CFTI) and BookASmile, the charity arm of BookMyShow are continuing their mission to aid underprivileged communities in rural areas and provide access to facilities and services that empower and support them. It is just the latest in the long line of initiatives where BookASmile has extended a much-needed helping hand. In the past, they have teamed up with CFTI to carry out a bicycle donation drive to help young female students in villages, open dedicated emergency Covid-19 hospitals, and distribute grocery kits during the disastrous Konkan floods.
The newest campaign was focused on opening a large and aesthetically pleasing basketball court in the small village of Veshvi. It aimed to promote a new sport and get the youth in the village and neighbouring areas invested in training for it. The court has been built on the campus of Prabhakar Patil Education Society. 6000+ students on the campus and more than 300 children from nearby villages can use the court and learn how to play basketball. Most of these children hail from families consisting of farmers and fishermen. Along with getting access to the new court, they can also train with professional coaches from the Hi5 Basketball Academy, completely free of charge. The children, who are already familiar with traditional games like kho kho, kabaddi and cricket, now have the opportunity to explore the world of a new sport and potentially build a career out of it.
Speaking of the campaign, a BAS representative said, “Our journey with CFTI has been a long one, and we hope to continue making an impact with our work. An initiative like this ensures everyone has access to desired services and amenities, regardless of who they are and where they come from. We were extremely glad to help and are looking forward to doing more campaigns in the future.”
Sharing her thoughts on the latest collaborative effort, Chitralekha Patil, Mentor-Chairperson, CFTI Trust, said, “This was important to us because we want to make sure no one is deprived of the pleasure of experiencing things that would normally be inaccessible or non-existent in small villages. Thanks to the generosity of BookASmile and their continued support, we have been able to launch another successful campaign. Without their contribution, none of this would have been possible.”